Lee Precision Customer Service Total Fail

[jonp]

Some time ago i won at auction a nice haul which I described in another thread. Included in it was a Lee 4 20 Pro that had been modified into a dipper and was missing all the bottom pour stuff plus the heat shield . After making sure it worked i thought id ask lee about the parts mostly the heat shield. If they had the parts in stock etc.thinking at worst i had a working melter.

So i sent a message about that asking if they had parts in stock describing the Pro noting that it had been modified into a melter and if they had parts on stock for it. I got a response from "Ann" asking for pictures. Thinking they wanted to nail down what it might need i took several and off they went. To my surprise a few days later Ann asked me to send it in for free repair or replacement and provided return shipping labels if i paid the shipping. I was stunned at this above and beyond customer service but said heck yeah!

$30 boxed up sent. A few days later got a call from "Betsy". The unit had been modified and couldnt be fixed but they would sell me a new one half price at $65 plus shipping. Uh...no kidding it was modified as i said that in the original message and all i wanted was parts not shell out over $100 as i had 3 pots already Back and forth told her to throw it out and i would consider the $30 a lesson learned.

Next day got an email from Ann that i could have a $56 gift certificate for the modified melter, they were quite fixated on that cyoa term. I replied to cancel that as i had no intention of buying anything from them again

So $56 - $30 = $26 for something i wasnt interested in buying in exchange for a pot that worked and I sent in at their request which i would never have done on my own.

A company should not promise something out of the blue then realize their mistake and offer a half baked solution. Remember, all i wanted was to buy a heat shield and other parts if in stock. Now i have no pot and am out $30.

[1Hawkeye]

Know the feeling, I quit anything lee a long time ago when I got a bad set of .223 rem dies from them. Someone had put a .244 expander in the sizer die so you had a fun time getting the case in and back out. Stupid young me I called lee told them the problem and wanted to buy a correct size expander only to be told I didn't know what I was talking about thats the correct size and I MUST be doing something very wrong. The joker on the other end of the phone got it back just as fowl as he gave it , the dies went in the trash , and its been rcbs ever since.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I stumbled into a used Pro 4-20 pot that needed some help...this was in the "before times" so parts were in stock. They offer many of the parts to rebuild a pot for free, you just pay shipping. So I ordered everything I needed, plus a few other parts for a Pro-Disk measure, also free. A large box of parts arrived and I had to pay was $21 shipping.
I realize this doesn't help you at all, but anyone else reading here with a lead pot project, don't bother to call, just order their free parts online.
That's my 2¢

[Omega]

Some time ago i won at auction a nice haul which I described in another thread. Included in it was a Lee 4 20 Pro that had been modified into a dipper and was missing all the bottom pour stuff plus the heat shield . After making sure it worked i thought id ask lee about the parts mostly the heat shield. If they had the parts in stock etc.thinking at worst i had a working melter.

So i sent a message about that asking if they had parts in stock describing the Pro noting that it had been modified into a melter and if they had parts on stock for it. I got a response from "Ann" asking for pictures. Thinking they wanted to nail down what it might need i took several and off they went. To my surprise a few days later Ann asked me to send it in for free repair or replacement and provided return shipping labels if i paid the shipping. I was stunned at this above and beyond customer service but said heck yeah!

$30 boxed up sent. A few days later got a call from "Betsy". The unit had been modified and couldnt be fixed but they would sell me a new one half price at $65 plus shipping. Uh...no kidding it was modified as i said that in the original message and all i wanted was parts not shell out over $100 as i had 3 pots already Back and forth told her to throw it out and i would consider the $30 a lesson learned.

Next day got an email from Betsy that i could have a $56 gift certificate for the modified melter, they were quite fixated on that cyoa term. I replied to cancel that as i had no intention of buying anything from them again

So $56 - $30 = $26 for something i wasnt interested in buying in exchange for a pot that worked and I sent in at their request which i would never have done on my own.

A company should not promise something out of the blue then realize their mistake and offer a half baked solution. Remember, all i wanted was to buy a heat shield and other parts if in stock. Now i have no pot and am out $30.
Not a ding on you as I was not there to witness the interaction but; I bet if you had requested to talk to "Ann" this would have been corrected right off, or, if explained to "Betsy" that you had an email explaining the modified condition was stated before you shipped it, she too would have made things right. Most times customer service folks (not just Lee) will try and make their company take the least amount of loss, but in the end will make things right as their reputation, reputable companies anyway, is worth more to them than even a new piece of equipment.

[dverna]

I stumbled into a used Pro 4-20 pot that needed some help...this was in the "before times" so parts were in stock. They offer many of the parts to rebuild a pot for free, you just pay shipping. So I ordered everything I needed, plus a few other parts for a Pro-Disk measure, also free. A large box of parts arrived and I had to pay was $21 shipping.
I realize this doesn't help you at all, but anyone else reading here with a lead pot project, don't bother to call, just order their free parts online.
That's my 2¢

Good advice.

[jonp]

I stumbled into a used Pro 4-20 pot that needed some help...this was in the "before times" so parts were in stock. They offer many of the parts to rebuild a pot for free, you just pay shipping. So I ordered everything I needed, plus a few other parts for a Pro-Disk measure, also free. A large box of parts arrived and I had to pay was $21 shipping.
I realize this doesn't help you at all, but anyone else reading here with a lead pot project, don't bother to call, just order their free parts online.
That's my 2¢

Words to the wise. That is what I should have done.
I bought a used Lee O Press and the linkage busted after some use. A few back and forths and i paid cost for a couple of the parts but the most were updated parts free except shipping. More than fair

[Traffer]

I wonder if the deal they offered you is transferrable..I'll take it if it is.

[gwpercle]

If I made $26.00 on a deal ... I wouldn't complain too much .
Could have easily lost $30.00 and then had something to complain about .
As Deals go ... you win some , You loose some and some get rained out !
This deal got rained out .
At least you didn't get burned .

I would have asked about a deal on a Lee Magnum Melter ...Call Ann and see if she can help you .
Gary

[megasupermagnum]

I kind of get what you are saying, that they should not have asked you to send it in if they were not certain they had the correct parts. On the other hand, what you had was essentially worthless, modified, who knows how old, and they were willing to give you a $56 credit for a brand new one. You bought an unknown, used, low price melting pot sight unseen, and the chips didn't fall in your favor this time. You won't convince me that Lee did anything wrong here.

[CastingFool]

I have a lee 10 pot, and tried ordering the parts from Lee. They wouldn't take my order, cuz they would have to collect sales tax, since I live in Michigan, and the state wants their cut. I'm left wondering what sales tax when the parts are free to me, except the shipping. Go figure.

[frkelly74]

Well, my experience was better than I expected. I broke off a drill bit in the spout of my 10 lb pot. I called them and might have talked to Ann, anyway she suggested I send it in and since they had parts on hand for that pot they would repair it at no cost to me and mail it back as a plan A, Plan B would be to sell me a replacement at the 1/2 retail cost.. I insisted it was my fault it needed fixing. She said it didn't matter. They did exactly what the promised ,Plan A, and now I have two pots because I had already bought another one. I have had other items replaced also and do recommend Lee products.

[jonp]

I kind of get what you are saying, that they should not have asked you to send it in if they were not certain they had the correct parts. On the other hand, what you had was essentially worthless, modified, who knows how old, and they were willing to give you a $56 credit for a brand new one. You bought an unknown, used, low price melting pot sight unseen, and the chips didn't fall in your favor this time. You won't convince me that Lee did anything wrong here.

No, that is not what I am saying. I wrote to them asking if they had the parts in stock intending to purchase and install them myself. That's all I wanted. They replied asking for pictures then telling me to send it to them at my expense for "fixing or replacing it for free" which was not something I was looking for. I sent it to them with this promise in mind and then they backtracked as fast as they could from it. They should not have said something they didn't intend to follow through on but they could have just sent it back to me and apologized stating they didn't have the parts. I'd have been out the $30 due to them but ok. Now I am out the money and don't have a functional melter. To "make it right" and offer to let me spend another $75 to get something I didn't want then compound that by offering a gift certificate for $26 is ridiculous. Can you buy a melting pot for $26?

[jonp]

Well, my experience was better than I expected. I broke off a drill bit in the spout of my 10 lb pot. I called them and might have talked to Ann, anyway she suggested I send it in and since they had parts on hand for that pot they would repair it at no cost to me and mail it back as a plan A, Plan B would be to sell me a replacement at the 1/2 retail cost.. I insisted it was my fault it needed fixing. She said it didn't matter. They did exactly what the promised ,Plan A, and now I have two pots because I had already bought another one. I have had other items replaced also and do recommend Lee products.

I would have taken that deal, too. Ann did not offer that. If they did not have the parts in stock after receiving the pictures then she could have just said so. At that point if she had offered to sell me a new one at 1/2 price I would have declined as I don't have a need for a 4th one. Done.

[firefly1957]

On a side note they treated you much better then S&W treated me a few years ago when I had a defect return . Not only did they say they could not repair it but they refused initial offer of lower cost replacement besides a series of outright lies to me.
I have a dozen of their guns I guess I can find another company to do business with from now on.

[Sasquatch-1]

$30 boxed up sent. A few days later got a call from "Betsy". The unit had been modified and couldnt be fixed but they would sell me a new one half price at $65 plus shipping. Uh...no kidding it was modified as i said that in the original message and all i wanted was parts not shell out over $100 as i had 3 pots already Back and forth told her to throw it out and i would consider the $30 a lesson learned.




I have never thought much about Lee's replacement guarantee. Their parts replacement isn't too bad. But I have notice that by the time you pay the shipping both ways and the half retail price, you can usually buy a new one cheaper.

I went out and checked the price of a new 4-20 and several places had them listed for under $80.00, out of stock but back order OK. So, you take the initial $30.00 to send it back, the $65.00 half price offer and return shipping (let's say $15.00 since they ship a lot) that's $110.00 for an $80.00 pot.

Now don't get me wrong, I use a lot of Lee molds and have several of their loading dies and have a ten pound bottom pour that I have been using for over 40 years. I am not against Lee, but their warranty sucks.

[Mal Paso]

It sounds like Lee made a contract with you and broke it.

[Targa]

It would be very nice if the initial customer service rep that you first dealt with is the one that would see the entire process through.

[jonp]

I would have not been angry if she had emailed or called me the next day and said she made a mistake and couldnt honor that. We all do it and i wouldnt be out anything.

[poppy42]

Lee has always been very good to me. I’ve gotten many replacement parts and I’ve never had to pay a dime for shipping. Or anything else for that matter. I even had a Lee hand press that had a crack in the Area of the threads where you were screw a dying. After a phone conversation with a tech I sent her some pictures of the item via email and they sent me a shipping label to ship the whole press back to them! The press I sent them was the old style where are you screwed in a die. The tech explained to me that they no longer make that model so they sent me a breech lock hand press and even included a breech lock bushing! I’ve heard others that I’ve had problems and I certainly don’t have an answer. Maybe I’m just lucky. But like I’ve said Lee has always treated me very very good!

[Harter66]

This thread typifies the long term Lee customer service consistency I've seen for at least 25 years . One customer is just happy as a pig in mud and the next one gets the "non-transferable warranty" shuffle .

Their warranty does state that it is full replacement for 2 years and 50% of MSRP after that so an origin unknown pot is outside of the written standard .

Yep I concur that the manor in which it was handled is inappropriate . The promise to make the modified pot right shouldn't have been made and the assy should have been at least returned at their expense if you decided to keep it as is .

I've only used RCBS and Redding for minor parts . You can't get better service than and inquiry about a tool line and age ending with current production refit parts for a 50 yr old die set RCBS or alternative seating stem for a 30 yr old die set from Redding in all 3 cases on their dime . RCBS and Redding cost 2-3 times as much , some items much more . It seems to me that their service is just expected .

Hornady seems to be hit and miss and I've never read that CH or Forster did anyone a super great "I broke it , sure no problem we got you" Friday at 4 phone call parts in the mailbox Tuesday deal .

Lyman ........ I don't know that I have ever heard a brag on their service either , seem like begrudgingly was more the word indicated .

If I didn't have the ram prime dialed in on the little slopped out Partner press I'd send it off for most likely an R&R on the 25+ year old press , I don't think I'd get that on the Hornady Red , Pacific 008 . Lyman won't send you an over size ram for your worn Spartan either . I don't know what RCBS is replacing the Big Max presses with but I'd bet it's only a discount towards something in the new line up .

[MT Gianni]

You would have been much better off with a 1 lb rowell ladle and the Lee modified pot than with a functioning Lee bottom pour.

[brassrat]

I told them to wish me luck in dealing with 40,000 psi and my broken .223 die collet. Still works but not happy with their offer.

[Big Tom]

LEE is going down the drain with their support. I needed a replacement part for my LEE Loadmaster and they would not sell it to me or send it as a warranty part and are hiding behind a tax nexus that would require them to pay state tax for the items they ship to a state. Just like ALL other companies... but LEE does not want to take care of this and simply does not sell you the part you need. I now have a $300+ door stop as all of the resellers they claim are either out of business or simply do not sell replacement parts. I am still convinced that they have decent products, but with such a pathetic stance in regards to providing replacement parts to their customers, I am done with them for good. No more (additional) LEE products on my bench.

[Bmi48219]

I agree with Targa your chances are better if you can deal with just one CS Person.
Lee has never asked me to pay more than shipping cost, but it’s been a few years since I called them.
RCBS voluntarily has replaced dies for free knowing they were decades old and I wasn’t the original purchaser.
STI likewise has provided free shipping, parts and repairs on a second hand pistol.
I called S&W for a $2 part I needed for a pistol they hadn’t produced in 20 years and they sent me it and a dozen other parts they still had in stock, because I just might need them one day, all at no charge.
SIG did a $900.00 repair for me charging me only $200 including shipping on a pistol they didn’t even make because I called them looking for a part I knew they had used in a production run ten years earlier.
I could go on but the truth is that by and large, warranty and customer service from the companies we do business with for our hobby, is stellar compared to any other producers of consumer goods. We are spoiled in that regard.

[zarrinvz24]

This thread typifies the long term Lee customer service consistency I've seen for at least 25 years . One customer is just happy as a pig in mud and the next one gets the "non-transferable warranty" shuffle .

Their warranty does state that it is full replacement for 2 years and 50% of MSRP after that so an origin unknown pot is outside of the written standard .

Yep I concur that the manor in which it was handled is inappropriate . The promise to make the modified pot right shouldn't have been made and the assy should have been at least returned at their expense if you decided to keep it as is .

I've only used RCBS and Redding for minor parts . You can't get better service than and inquiry about a tool line and age ending with current production refit parts for a 50 yr old die set RCBS or alternative seating stem for a 30 yr old die set from Redding in all 3 cases on their dime . RCBS and Redding cost 2-3 times as much , some items much more . It seems to me that their service is just expected .

Hornady seems to be hit and miss and I've never read that CH or Forster did anyone a super great "I broke it , sure no problem we got you" Friday at 4 phone call parts in the mailbox Tuesday deal .

Lyman ........ I don't know that I have ever heard a brag on their service either , seem like begrudgingly was more the word indicated .

If I didn't have the ram prime dialed in on the little slopped out Partner press I'd send it off for most likely an R&R on the 25+ year old press , I don't think I'd get that on the Hornady Red , Pacific 008 . Lyman won't send you an over size ram for your worn Spartan either . I don't know what RCBS is replacing the Big Max presses with but I'd bet it's only a discount towards something in the new line up .

Concur x2. Lots on here love Lee precision. They are cheaper, and costs must be cut somewhere. I see it as inferior materials, and corners cut in machining as the way they make up for that. Hindsight is always 20/20, and I wish I had started with Redding right off the bat. It would have been money saved. Good tools can make a horrible job bearable.

[Three44s]

LEE is going down the drain with their support. I needed a replacement part for my LEE Loadmaster and they would not sell it to me or send it as a warranty part and are hiding behind a tax nexus that would require them to pay state tax for the items they ship to a state. Just like ALL other companies... but LEE does not want to take care of this and simply does not sell you the part you need. I now have a $300+ door stop as all of the resellers they claim are either out of business or simply do not sell replacement parts. I am still convinced that they have decent products, but with such a pathetic stance in regards to providing replacement parts to their customers, I am done with them for good. No more (additional) LEE products on my bench.

Tom,

Seems like “who you talk to” (the luck of the draw) makes a lot of difference in reading this thread.

I have zero experience with Lee’s customer service but the treatment you received thus far is beyond the pale.

I think you ought to call them and raise cob with them. Put them on speed dial, reference this thread or better still start a new on aimed straight at the Lee Load Master press and make lots of smoke.

The old saying, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” comes to mind.

Three44s

[bakerjw]

I have some Lee equipment but will go with RCBS any day of the week. I lost the pin for a hand priming tool and contacted them asking for a part#. I had one in the mail in a couple of days for FREE!

[jonp]

I want to be clear on this thread. I was not asking for warranty service just parts available. Another single stage press i busted and asked for parts. They charged cost for one piece but the rest was free if i paid shipping. Very happy with that.

This was far different